Sep. 25, 2012

When Alan Alda was 11-years-old he wondered, 'what is a flame?' He never really got a satisfactory answer, so he created a contest that challenged scientists to explain how a flame works in a way that kids could understand.

Panels of 11-year-olds in schools around the country and the world selected the best answer from the explanations chosen as finalists from the more than 800 contest entries. The winning video is below.

Now Alda, and the Flame Challenge organizers at Stony Brook University’s Center for Communicating Science, are asking kids ages 10 through 12 what new question they want answered by scientists. So teachers, parents, and fans of clear science communication, spread the word to the kids in your life. Encourage them to submit a question!

About Leslie Taylor

Leslie is the online editor at Workboat.com and NationalFisherman.com. She has a background in oceanography and is passionate about getting non-scientists and young people to realize how cool science can be. She is also Science Friday's former web editor.

The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Science Friday.